"I thought we played decent today but we were a little sloppy at times and you could tell it was our opener," said Canisius head coach Dermot McGrane. "We scored the first goal and would have liked a second but unfortunately, they answered back. We would have liked to come away with a win, but a tie is better than a loss. We'll do a little work before Sunday and we should come out ready against Robert Morris.

Sophomore Asani Samuels scored the Griffs' first goal of the 2012 campaign to lead the Canisius offense, while senior goaltender Kareem Gray anchored the defense with five saves.

Samuels wasted no time getting the Griffs on the scoreboard in 2012, scoring just 3:28 into the opener. Senior defender Andrew Incho raced down the sideline and crossed the ball to Samuels. The sophomore forward then headed the ball into the back of the net from six yards out for the early 1-0 advantage.

The Bulls answered back in the 31st minute of play. Stephen Mounnarat rocketed a shot toward goal but Gray was there to turn it away. However, the rebound went right to Richard Craven, who finished from 15 yards out for the 1-1 score.

The game remained deadlock throughout the rest of the contest. The Griffs had the best chance to break the tie when freshman Alex De Carolis got a shot past the Bulls keeper. However, a Buffalo defender successfully cleared the ball to keep the game squared at one.

Canisius finished the contest with an 18-15 edge in shots and 9-5 advantage in corner kicks. Jonathan Viscosi matched Gray with five saves in the tie.

The Griffs return to action on Sunday, playing at Robert Morris. Game time in Moon Township, Pa. is set for 3 p.m.

Game Notes: Friday's game can be seen on Time Warner SportsNet (Ch. 13/713 in Buffalo) on Saturday at 9 p.m., Sunday at 9 p.m., Monday at 10 p.m. and Thursday at 3 p.m. ... The Griffs earned at least a tie in their season opener for the first time since 2005, a 1-1 draw against Cleveland State ... Canisius scored a goal in its opener for the first time since netting two against nationally-ranked Connecticut in 2007 ... Buffalo now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 26-9-6 ... The teams are 2-2-2 against each other in the last six seasons.